The Golden Boy's Secret
by SalemCassidy
Summary: When Sonny goes on a tirade and finds Chad crying in a closet what secrets will be revieled? I do not own Sonny with a Chance or any characters there of. Warning:homosexuality and mild cursing. If you don't like it, read it anyway it's good for you
1. Secret Fears

Sonny and Zora were sitting on the couch in the prop house on either side of a large wood chessboard. Sonny was staring at the board pensively while examined the layout of the board with a small smile on her face. Sonny finally reached out and moved one of her pawns to capture Zora's knight a wide smile decorating her face. Zora smiled even more widely and took Sonny's queen with her rook. Sonny frowned and sat back to examine the chess board again.

"I'm glad you decided to teach me to play chess, Zora. It's nice spending time with you, and learning how to play chess makes me feel so smart." Sonny said moving another one of her pieces only to watch Zora's Queen swallow it up.

"No one else will play with me after they found out Bobby Fisher was my cousin." Zora said watching Sonny move her rook into the path of her Knight.

"Who's Bobby Fisher?" Sonny asked frowning as Zora's Queen sidled up to her King.

"No one important." Zora said smiling as she ended the game.

"Hey, Sonny." Tawni said as she walked into the prop house. She was smiling brightly in the brunette's direction.

"Why are you so smiley today?" Sonny asked as Zora set the board back up.

"I was just reading something interesting in this week's issue of Teen Beat." Tawni said pulling a magazine from behind her back. She opened it and feigned reading. Sonny glanced over and squawked as she saw a picture of herself and Chad Dylan Cooper on the front cover. The headline read 'Teen Heartthrob reveals all about So Random Crush.'

"Give me that." She yelped jumping up and grabbing for the magazine. Tawni leapt from her chair and danced away from Sonny.

"Chad Dylan Cooper revealed in a recent interview that So Random's Sonny Munroe is sporting a not so secret crush for him. 'Sonny would never admit it but she really likes me, she even told me I have sparkly eyes once.'" Tawni read from the magazine as she darted back and forth to avoid her cast mates snatching fingers. As she ran past the couch Zora snapped the magazine from her hands just in time for Tawni to run into the side of the sarcophagus.

"Ow, that hurt." Tawni whimpered as she walked back to her chair rubbing her forehead. Zora sat back down onto the couch and began to read the rest of the article for herself. Sonny reached for it but jerked back her hand as Zora glanced at her and growled.

"I'm going to kill him!" Sonny said beginning to pace back and forth behind the couch. Tawni watched her still rubbing her forehead. "I've told him a hundred times that I don't like him, and now gone and told a magazine."

"Could you stop pacing? You're making me nauseous." Tawni whined as her eyes continued to follow Sonny across the floor. Sonny sat down on the couch with a huff.

"I mean why would I even like Chad; he's a melodramatic pretty boy who can't act." Sonny grumbled crossing her arms across her chest.

"So you admit you think he's pretty." Zora said without looking up from her magazine.

"No, of course not, well maybe. But he thinks' I'm cute too. He didn't mention _that_ in his interview." Sonny said standing and stamping her foot.

"Why don't you go talk to him and his sparkly eyes?" Zora said barely looking away from the magazine to glance at Sonny.

"You know what, I will. I'm going to march right over to McKenzie falls and give that boy a piece of my mind." Sonny said walking to the door quickly her heels making a sharp staccato on the floor.

"Oh, score! Shirtless pictures of Taylor Lautner." Zora said as Sonny slammed the door shut behind her.

"Let me see." Tawni squealed jumping from her chair and flopping on the couch.

Sonny marched across the studio to the MacKenzie Falls stage. As she rounded the corner in front of the stage doors the security guard put down his sandwich and glanced at the wall of photos featuring people banned from the set and stuck his hand out. Sonny ignored the outstretched hand and attempted to walk past him he reached his arm out and wrapped it around her, picked her up, set her down away from the door. Sonny glared up at him before reaching over and snatching his sandwich off the podium, turning she tossed it as far as she could and walked onto the set of MacKenzie Falls as he was chasing after it.

It took Sonny a few minutes to find Chad's dressing room. He insisted on changing dressing rooms once a week to avoid 'crazed stalkers' and Sonny. She was about to give up when she walked past the janitors closet and heard a soft sob. She stopped and listened closely to make sure she wasn't hearing things. She heard the ragged sobbing sound again and reached out to gently knock on the door.

"Go away." Sonny gasped as she recognized the sound of Chad's voice. She opened the door and stepped inside quickly closing it behind her. Chad turned his back quickly but she could see him scrubbing at his eyes when he turned around his eyes were obviously bloodshot. His eyes looked bluer than ever, almost seeming to glow from the redness.

"What do you want?" He asked, she barely heard the tremor in his voice.

"What's wrong?" She asked her anger evaporating suddenly; it startled her to see Chad displaying actually genuine human emotion.

"Nothing, just leave me alone; what are you even doing here? I banned you."Chad said glaring at her; despite his facial expression his eyes still looked miserable.

"I distracted that guard, now what's wrong with you, you're actually crying." Sonny asked putting her hands on her hips stubbornly.

"I was not crying, someone forgot to dust the stupid fichus in my dressing room and my allergies are acting up." Chad lied.

"If it's just your allergies then why are you hiding in the janitor's closet?"

"I don't want to talk about it, could you just get out of my way, I need to go put some drops in my eyes. I have to shoot a scene in twenty minutes." Chad said moving to get around her.

"I'll move when you tell me what's wrong." Sonny said shifting to block his escape.

"Sonny, for once in your life please leave me alone." Chad said his bottom lip trembling slightly. Sonny stared at him a moment before stepping forward and wrapping her arms around him. The young actor stood stiff and still for a moment before returning the embrace his head dropping to Sonny's shoulder. Sonny only squeezed harder as Chad's shoulders began to shake and fresh tears bled through her shirt to her skin.

"Oh, god, Chad what's going on?" She asked rubbing her hand in gentle circles on the boy's back.

"James Conroy is back on Mackenzie Falls, they're talking about making him a regular character." Chad said quietly his voice throaty and raw.

"Why is that so bad?" Sonny asked softly. Chad tore away and walked over to the corner of the closet and stood there without speaking. Sonny stood by the door and waited for him to say something, finally the silence grew thick and she opened her mouth to say something when Chad turned around.

"I'm going to tell you something, something almost no one else knows. If it gets out my career is over and I'll be stuck playing in after school specials and Canadian television." He said glaring at her as he scrubbed his eyes again.

"I wouldn't tell anyone something you told me in confidence." Sonny promised.

"Sonny, I'm gay." Chad said in a rush quickly turning away to face the corner again.

"Chad, Chad it's okay." Sonny said closing the distance and putting her hand on his shoulder.

"You won't tell anyone?" He asked turning around to look at her.

"I promise, now what does this have to do with James?" Sonny asked cocking her head to the side inquisitively.

"James and I dated, after Tawni. We went out for a few weeks, he got what he wanted, and then he dumped me." Chad said burying his face in his hands.

"What did he want?" Sonny asked a confused look on her face. Chad's head shot up and he fixed her with an incredulous look.

"Really, Sonny?"

"What?" She said shrugging before a look of realization crossed her face. "Oh…oh my god. What a fudge bag." Sonny said her face suddenly registering rage. Chad said nodding sadly.

"That's why I teamed up with Tawni when he was going after you, I didn't want him doing that to anyone else." Chad said his face turning grim. "I hate him so much; I though he loved me and all he wanted was….that."

"Why don't you talk to Marshall, if you tell him you don't want to work with James maybe he'll stop them from adding him to the cast." Sonny asked rubbing her hand over his shoulder again.

"I can't talk to Marshall, he'll want to know why I don't want to work with James and I can't tell him." Chad said shaking his head. "Once you come out in you can't get a job in this town, especially not on a teen show."

"So what're you going to do?"

"I don't know, I can't work with that boy, and I can't tell anyone why. Maybe I'll pay the writers to kill him off." Chad said shrugging.

"Do you want me to stay with you for a while?" Sonny asked patting him on the back.

"If we go back to my dressing room to you promise not to tell anyone where it is?"

"I promise, scout's honor." Sonny said raising her fingers in the Brownie Scout salute.

"Alright," Chad said sliding past her to open the door. "You never told me why you're here." He asked while he held the door open for her.

"I came to scream at you over the interview in Teen Beat." Sonny said after taking a moment to remember.

"Are you still going to scream at me? I don't want to be screamed at right now." Chad said his eyes tired and hollow. For the first time since she had met him Chad Dylan Cooper was not only acting like a human being but acting like a frightened little boy. She just couldn't bring herself to kick him when he was down.

"No, I'm angry that you told the reporters that I like you, but I'm not going to scream at you right now, it just wouldn't be right." She said sighing as followed him through the halls of the MacKenzie Falls stage.

"But you do like me." He said as the stopped in front of another door marked janitor's closet. Chad pulled a key out of his pocket and unlocked the door to his dressing room.

"I do not, even if I did that doesn't give you the right to tell anyone. Besides I thought you liked me too." Sonny said allowing herself to pout for the first time. It was true that she had feelings for the blonde haired boy with the beautiful blue eyes. She had always been pretty sure he had feelings for her too. Now that she knew he was gay she couldn't help but feel a little upset. Chad let her into the dressing room and locked the door behind her.

"I do like you, Sonny. You're funny, you're cute, and you're a great person. You're my best friend." Chad said turning to fix her with his startling crystal gaze. Sonny quickly looked away from his eyes away from him.

"Stop that, Chad. It's not fair to use your eyes on me like that anymore, not when you're not interested in me." Sonny said jabbing her finger at his chest.

"I'm sorry, Sonny. I didn't mean to lead you on, and I honestly don't realize when I'm doing that with my eyes anymore. Just remind me, okay?" He asked, he was still using his puppy dog eyes but she was pretty sure he was being genuine.

"You're doing it again." She said unable to keep from smiling.

"Damn it." He said covering his eye with his hands. "I really am sorry."

"I know, am I really your best friend?" Sonny asked walking over to take his hand and uncover his eyes.

"Yes."  
"What about all these people at MacKenzie Falls?" She asked waving her hand to encompass their surroundings.

"They don't care about me; they're just nice to me because I'm the star. You're the only person who cares enough to argue with me and try to keep my head from getting too big." He said smiling at her.

"I'm going to apologize for this before I say it. Chad, if I'm your best friend that's kind of sad." Sonny said shaking her head.

"I know." He said sitting down in his makeup chair and staring into the mirror. "I know I'm not the nicest person in the world. I don't know when I stopped trying but I did. I don't even thing I realized how bad I got until you showed up and started calling me on it." He said looking and her reflection in the mirror and smiling at her reflection.

"So why don't you start trying again?" She asked dropping her hands on the back of his chair.

"I have." He said earnestly.

"Really, Chad, really?" She asked one hand going up to drift through his hair. He twitched a little bit but did his best not to move away from her hand. It had been years since he'd let anyone touch him casually, and longer than that since he'd let anyone play with his hair.

"I'm nice to you aren't I?" He asked twisting around to look her in the eye.

"I always thought that was because you were attracted to me, but I guess you're right, you're getting better." She said ruffling his hair one last time before going to sit down on the couch.

"I hate that couch," Chad said spinning to face her. "I lost my virginity on a couch like that." Sonny jumped up and started swiping briskly at her skirt. "Relax, Sonny, I said a couch like that. I had that couch burned after James broke up with me." He said smiling.

"James was your first?" Sonny asked sitting back down.

"Yeah." He said sighing.

"What a bastard." Sonny muttered jumping and covering her mouth as she realized what she had said.

"Well, well, well, listen to the mouth on Ms. Munroe. Who knew Wisconsin's Sweet Heart was such a gutter mouth?" Chad said smiling broadly at her.

"Since we're telling secrets here, Chad, I have another question." Sonny said ignoring his mocking tone.

"Haven't I told enough secrets today?" He asked spinning back around to look in the mirror.

"I'll tell you a secret first." Sonny offered scooting forward on the couch. Chad picked up a bottle of eyes drops and tossed his head back.

"Two secrets and they better be juicy, because the secrets I told you were whoppers." He said putting the drops in his eyes.

"Alright, two secrets extra juicy." Sonny said nodding quickly as Chad picked up an unlabeled tube from the makeup counter.

"Deal." He said unscrewing the tube and squirting a pearl of white cream onto the tip of his finger.

"I'm a virgin." Sonny said rolling her eyes embarrassedly. Chad rubbed the cream in the hollows under his eyes before glancing at her in the mirror.

"That second one better be a lot better than that," he said before screwing the cap back on the tube. "You said you were going to me secrets." Sonny made a face at him in the mirror.

"My first kiss was with my best friend in Wisconsin." Sonny said her face completely blank.

"That girl that you crashed my birthday party to talk to?" He asked spinning around in his chair to stare at her.

"Yeah, but you can't tell anyone." She said her face absolutely serious.

"I'm in no position to be telling secrets, Sonny." Chad said smirking before turning back to the mirror.

"Guess not, so can I ask you a question now?" She asked sitting back on the couch.

"I guess so, that first secret was kind of weak, but the second was juicy enough for two." He said pilfering around the counter until he found a tube of lip gloss.

"Why are you so paranoid? You change your dressing room once a week; you put a janitor's closet sign on your door. What are you so afraid of?" She asked crossing her legs. Chad dropped the lip gloss and stared off into space for a few moments before he locked eyes with her reflection. He got up from the makeup chair and walked over to filing cabinet in the corner. He opened the bottom drawer and pulled out a sheet of crumbled paper from a black folder and handed it to her. Her eyes widened as she read down the paper. She laid it on the couch beside her and stared at him as he applied the gloss to his lips.

"I got that my first season on MacKenzie Falls." He said glancing at the letter. "I was sixteen years old; the woman who wrote it was forty-five."

"That must have been scary." Sonny said scooting the letter further away from her like it was some venomous thing.

"Yeah, there are a thousand others like it in that folder, some better some worse." He said sitting the lip liner down on the counter. "Most of them are just letters, but you never know when one of those people is going to get it in their heads to follow through on it. I'm scared shitless."

"I understand. I'm so sorry, Chad. I guess if I had to deal with stuff like this I would have shut down too."

"I can handle it." He said.

"Can I ask a favor?" Sunny asked getting up from the couch.

"You can try." He said watching her reflection.

"Will you lift my ban so I can come and see you? I promise not to barge on stage when you're trying to act."

"Alright, I'll lift the ban if you promise not to barge on the set when I'm _acting_." He said giving her a pointed look.

"I promise not to barge on stage when you're acting." Sonny said crossing her heart.


	2. Golden Secrets

Sonny was making her way back through the maze of halls between Chad's dressing room and front door of the MacKenzie Falls soundstage when she turned a corner and ran straight into James Conroy. She has been trying to think of a solution for Chad's problems with James and had come up with nothing when she latterly ran head first into the older boy's chest. She stopped, looked up, and scowled darkly as she realized who it was. Her scowl quickly twisted into a wicked grin as she got an idea. If Chad couldn't ask Marshal to make James go away she could make him want to go away on his own. She took a step closer to him and nearly gagged as he smirked down at her. She grinned back up at him and stomped sharply down on his toes.

"Ow, Sonny what the hell was that for?" He asked jumping away from her and lifting his foot off the ground.

"What the hell is the matter with you?!" She screamed darting in to fill up his personal space. "How could you do that to Chad?" She hissed inches from his face. James' face registered shock and anger for a moment before his usual self assured smile slid over his face like a mask.

"Is he telling that old sob story again?" He asked wincing only slightly as he set his foot back on the ground.

"Don't try to worm your way out of this, Conroy, I found him crying in a janitor's closet today because he doesn't want to work with you after what you did. You should be ashamed of yourself. Why don't you just leave and find another show to mug on."

"I'm not a mugger I'm a bank robber and it's not my fault that Chad decided at the last second he was afraid to turn loose of his precious virginity, once I get going I just can't stop." James said smirking again. Sonny stared at him for a moment before flushing bright red and kicking him as hard as she could. The dark haired boy yelped and grabbed his leg cradling it. Sonny walked over and pushed him over.

"Did he tell you to stop?" She asked standing over him her fists clenched. "Chad asked you to stop and you just kept going?!" She asked pulling her foot back to kick him again. James scooted away from her on his butt, one hand held out defensively.

"Like I said, it's not my fault he chickened out halfway through; I don't hear too well when I'm enjoying myself." He said smirking, Sonny's stomach clenched as she thought about Chad lying on the couch begging for him to stop. "I've never has someone cry during sex before, it was kind of hot." Sonny saw red as she reached down and grabbed the front of the older boy's shirt.

"That was not sex, you sick son of a bitch, you raped him and you enjoyed it." She said shaking him roughly. She turned loose of the front of his shirt and punched him in the nose. "I'm going to walk away now, even though I want to stay and beat the crap out of you. You had better leave; they can get someone else to rob the bank. She said getting to her feet and turning away. "If I catch you near Chad again I'll kill you." She walked away leaving James Conroy lying in the middle of the hall clutching his bleeding nose. Instead of going towards the door she turned back and went back into the sound stage towards Chad's dressing room. She knocked a few times on the door but got no answer before turning to go towards the main stage. As she walked onto the set Chad and one of his MacKenzie Falls costars were standing outside the MacKenzie Falls Bank. As she walked onto the set the director started shouting and the girl standing with Chad glared at her. Chad turned to see what was going on and rolled his eyes in exasperation.

"Sonny, you promised!" He accused going silent as she stepped up to him and wrapped her arms around him. He stood still for a moment before looking around to find everyone on the set staring at him. "Give me an hour." He said leading Sonny off the set. He found the Falls prop room and took her inside closing the door behind them. "What's going on?" He asked turning to look at her.

"I ran into James on the way back to the prop house." She said rubbing one of her hands. "Why didn't you tell me Chad?" She watched as the colour drained out of his face. He stared at her blue flooding his eyes as his pupils spiraled down to pin pricks as his body began to tremble. She walked towards him quickly wrapping his arms around him as he began to shake his head violently as tears spilled down his face. "Its okay, Chad, it's all going to be okay." She felt him droop as his legs went limp beneath him, she couldn't hold them both up but she lowered them to the ground gently, drawing the larger boy against her, she rubbed his back swaying back and forth like a mother trying to comfort an infant.

"I…I told him to stop and he wouldn't. I tried to push him off of my but I wasn't strong enough." Chad stammered sobs wracking his voice. "The next day I confronted him about it, but he said I had wanted it just as much as he had."

"Why didn't you tell anyone, Chad? That monster shouldn't be anywhere near you, he should be doing time." She asked pulling away so she could run her fingers over his thin cheeks, smearing his stage make up as she wiped the tears from his face. "And you need to get some help; you shouldn't have to deal with this alone."

"I can't tell anyone, Sonny." He said dropping his head against her shoulder. "Stars don't get raped. Please, you can't tell anyone." He begged clutching at her arm.

"I won't tell anyone if you don't want me too, but you need help." She said rubbing his arm reassuringly. "But if James doesn't take my advice and go away and never come back I'm going to beat him to death."

"What did you do?" Chad asked pulling away and staring at her.

"I beat the crap out of him and told him to leave you alone or I'd kill him." She said a dark look in her eyes.

"Oh, god, Sonny. I love you so much." He said laughing softly.

"What?" She asked her eyes widening as she looked at him.

"You're the nicest person I know, but the minute you get mad you're ready tear people limb from limb." He said laughing again shaking his head.

"He hurt you." She said grimacing. "I don't like it when people get hurt."

"I'm glad." He said looking down. He suddenly realized that they were sitting on the dirty floor of the prop house with their legs tangled together. He was embarrassed that he went to pieces in front of someone, but he was glad it was Sonny and not someone else. He didn't know anyone else who would have beat up James Conroy than come back to take care of him.

"Chad, you can say no if you want too, but my mom got a job at a rape counseling center back home. I could call her and ask her to fly out for a few days." She said leaning over to take his hand and gently rub the back of it with her thumb.

"Alright." He said quietly.

"Alright, as easy as that?" She asked cocking her head.  
"Yeah, you're right, I probably do need some help and your mother knows how to keep a secret right?" He asked looking at her.

"Yeah she knows how to keep a secret. Do you want to come back to the prop house with me until James leaves?" She asked beginning to untangle their legs.

"Won't your friends wonder why we're suddenly so friendly?" He asked standing and offering her his hand.

"Probably but it's none of their business, besides if you act like yourself…instead of acting like Chad Dylan Cooper they'll figure it out." She said grinning as she took his hand and he helped her up.

"I am Chad Dylan Cooper." He said looking down at her. "But I guess Chad Dylan Cooper could start acting like Sonny's friend instead of like self centered ass."

"That works." She said walking past him to open the door of the prop room. They made their way back out to the set so Chad could tell the director he was taking the day off. As they walked onto the set Chad stopped short and turned pale again as he saw James sitting in a chair off the set reading through his scrip make up barely covering the black eye Sonny gave him.

"It's about time; we need to shoot this scene." The director said as he looked up to see Chad. "What happened to your make up?" Sonny walked over to where James was sitting.

"I thought I told you to leave." She said looking down at him.

"If you want me to go you'll have to kill me." He said without taking his eyes off his script.

"Don't tempt me." She said tearing the paper out of his hands.

"There's nothing that you can do to me. Chad's not going to say anything to anyone because he doesn't want his dirty little secret getting out. You're not going to say anything because he asked you not too." He said smirking up at her.

"If it comes down to you leaving or Chad leaving the studio will get rid of you." Sonny said narrowing her eyes and jabbing the script at his chest.

"Don't be so sure, Sonny. McKenzie Falls' ratings have been way down for the past few months. I wouldn't be surprised if the director decided to trade the Fall's golden boy for a thief with a heart of gold." He said leaning back and smiling at her.

"I'm out of here," Chad said as he rushed past.

"Chad, wait what happened?" She called out after him. "This is not over." She said to James before she followed Chad off the set and out of the Mackenzie Falls sound stage. She caught up with Chad around the corner from the banned wall and grabbed his coat sleeve. He stopped and turned fresh tears in his eyes.

"They're adding him as a fulltime character. I told the director it was either me or him." Chad said staring at the floor.

"What did the director say?" Sonny ask clenching her fist.

"See you later." Chad said gritting his teeth. "He said that no one wants to watch me anymore anyway, they're going to write Mackenzie off."  
"How can they do that? The show's called Mackenzie Falls." Sonny said shaking her head confusedly.

"Mackenzie is going to drown in the falls and they're going to name them after him." He said shaking his head bitterly. "I've been on that show for five years and they're just going to write me off and give it to him."

"We can't let him get away with this." Sonny said.

"If I come clean now no one will believe me, they'll think I made it all up to keep my job." He said walking away. She followed after him. "They want me out of my apartment by the end of the month." He said as she caught up with him.

"What're you going to do?" She asked as she followed him out of the studio into the hot California sun.

"I have money in the bank. I'll have to look for an apartment and another job." He said walking towards his car in the parking lot.

"You can't go home to your parents?" She asked almost running to keep up.

"No," he said without explanation as he unlocked the car door and climbed inside. Sonny ran around to the other door and pulled on the handle until he unlocked it and let her in. She climbed in the passenger's seat. "What are you doing?" He asked glancing over at her.

"I'm going with you."She said simply.

"I'm just going back to my apartment to start packing." He said as he started the engine.

"No, I mean I'm leaving Condor Studios, I don't want to work for them, not after this." Sonny said crossing her arms resolutely.

"You're welcome to come with me and help me pack, but you're not quitting So Random, it's your dream." He said as they pulled out of the studio parking lot onto the street.

"This isn't a dream, Chad. It's a nightmare." She said her jaw working furiously.

"Besides, it wasn't the studio; it was the director who decided to write me off." He said as he piloted the car through traffic.

"Can't you go talk to Mr. Condor? You're the studio's biggest star." She asked. They were drawing towards out of the city proper where things spread out a little bit and there was more grass and trees.

"He'll do whatever makes him the most money; if my popularity is down he'll opt to keep James too." Chad said shaking his head as they pulled up to a large apartment complex, it looked a lot more luxurious than the one the studio provided for So Random.

"But that's not fair." Sonny protested as Chad climbed out of the car. He came around and opened the door for her.

"It's not fair but it's how things work around here." He said as she climbed out of the car. She followed him up the walk to the front of the apartments and into the lobby. The doorman smiled vaguely at them before going back to the magazine spread about on the counter in front of him.

"Couldn't you just take over the rent on the apartment from the studio?" Sonny asked as the climbed aboard the elevator.

"No, the top three floors are reserved for MacKenzie Falls stars, I couldn't afford it anyway." He said as he pressed the button for the top floor.

"I thought you said you had money in the bank?" She asked as the elevator started smoothly up.

"I do, but I've been working on a kids show for five years, its good money but it's not a lot of money, definitely not enough money for me to live here. Besides it's really a little bit rich for my taste." He said as the doors slid open silently.

"Really?" She asked as she followed him off the elevator.

"What? You don't know me." He said glancing over his shoulder at her.

"Well that's not my fault, the Chad I know is a self centered, melodramatic prima dona who probably showers in Evian." She said poking him in the back as she spoke. He started laughing high and loud until finally he slumped against a wall. "What's so funny?"

"You think about me in the shower." He gasped in-between laughs.

"Shut up!" She said slapping him on the arm. "I thought you were straight."

"Alright let's be honest here, even though you know I'm not, you still think I'm hot right?" He asked barely able to keep himself from grinning.

"No."

"Really, Sonny, really?" He asked giving her his usual look. She reached out and slapped him again.

"Fine, you're still cute, but I'm not torturing myself over you anymore. I'm not going to think about how your lips look when you pout, how blue your eyes are, or what you look like in the shower. I'm just not." She said crossing her arms over her chest and glaring at him.

"Good for you, that's probably healthy." He said moving down the hall. His apartment was located at the end of the hall on the left. He sifted through the keys and unlocked the door, when he opened it he immediately grabbed an umbrella stand beside the door and put it on his shoulder as he keyed in the security code on the console above the stand. Sonny stood at the door and watched as he made quick circuit of the apartment with the bat poised to swing.

"You do that every day?" She asked when he put the bat back by the door.

"I got enough problems without horny housewives coming out of the woodwork after my ass." He said sitting on the couch. Now that she wasn't watching him patrol the apartment for stalkers Sonny took for a moment to examine the apartment. She understood why Chad said it was too rich; it wasn't so much rich as fashionably bland. Her studio furnished apartment had colour, his was decorated in shades of beige…and beige.

"Okay beforehand I would've said this place matches your personality perfectly, but I've met your crazy, where are you in this apartment?" She asked looking around for any trace of Chad in the insipid furnishings.

"The only room I really did anything with was my bedroom." He admitted shrugging his shoulders. "It's really the only room in the house I use."

"Can I see it?" She asked quietly.

"Sonny, are you trying to get in my bed?" He asked grinning indulgently.

"Stop teasing me, so not fair." She said putting her hands on her hips again.

"Alright, alright I guess you're right, it isn't very nice. Come on I'll show you my room." He said standing up from the couch and nodding towards the back corner of the apartment she followed him. When he opened the door she couldn't help but start laughing. She wasn't sure what she expected but this wasn't it. One wall was covered in a massive home entertainment center with a large television, high end stereo, and the shelves covered end to end with DVDs, CDs, and books. The bed was a small twin bed pushed into the corner of the room. A small bedside table with a lamp and alarm clock and a laptop table with wheels accompanied the bed. The other walls of the bedroom were covered with posters that featured movies, bands, or shirtless stars. Taylor Lautner and Zach Efron stood side by side on the wall above Chad's bed smiling and showing of their abs.

"If you have a crush on him then why did you ban Zach Efron from the sound stage?" Sonny asked surveying the posters again.

"I don't have a crush on him, he's hot but that's about it." Chad said shrugging and blushing. "And like I need that kind of distraction on set while I'm acting." HE said nodding towards the wall.

"So why didn't you ban Taylor Lautner?" She asked.

"Because he's worth the distraction." Chad said smiling and sticking his tongue out. She burst out laughing.


	3. Painful Secrets

Sonny and Chad didn't get much packing done. They could have blamed it on the fact that Chad's only boxes were things that fans had sent him. Being his usual paranoid self he had thrown away the gifts and kept the boxes. Still they probably would have gotten a lot more done if Sonny didn't comment on every CD or DVD she pulled off the shelf.

"Oh come on!" She cried as she pulled a Britney Spears CD from the shelf.

"What? Britney's cool." Chad said pouting defensively at the dark haired girl.

"She was," she replied giving the blond boy and incredulous look. "When I was six, by the time this came out she turned into a bleach blond hose bag."

"Leave Britney alone." Chad wailed pantomiming large shaking sobs before he rolled over onto his side laughing. Sonny watched him laugh hysterically for a few moments before finally giving up and joining.

"What's your excuse for this?" She asked pulling a Madonna CD from the rack.

"I'm gay I have to have one." He said after he managed to get himself under control and sit back up.

"I can't believe it." Sonny said shaking her head softly.

"What?" Chad said reaching over to take the CD from her and deposit into the box they had been trying to pack.

"You're gay, we're hanging out, I haven't had the urge to kiss or kill you in at least twelve hours. It's just a little bizarre." She said rolling her eyes and sighing.

"I always wanted to tell someone, Sonny, but I knew the people at the Falls would sell me in a heartbeat. When Tawni came along I thought that maybe we could be friends, but the whole rivalry thing got stirred up before we got close. I have been meaning to tell you for a long time, but you stayed so angry with me I didn't want to risk it." Chad said his eyes dropping to the floor between them.

"I stay mad at you because you act like a psychotic diva." Sonny said tapping him on the shoulder.

"Yeah, you would think you'd have figured it out by now." Chad said looking up at her with a wicked grin on his face. She pushed him and he rolled over on his back laughing brightly.

"And it doesn't matter how mad I got at you, Chad, I wouldn't break your confidence like that." She said smiling as she watched him roll around the floor. Twenty minutes into the first shelf of CD's Chad had wondered off to the kitchen and returned with a six pack of fruity flavoured drinks. He'd offered Sonny one but she refused and he'd spent the rest of the night gradually burning through. Sonny had looked at one of the bottles and snickered when she saw the alcohol content. Chad Dylan Cooper was a total lightweight.

"It's kind of getting late," Sonny said glancing at the alarm clock beside Chad's bed. "Maybe I should call a cab."

"You could always bunk here tonight." Chad said rolling back into a sitting position, a little more slowly this time.

"Your couch is made out of bamboo, Chad." Sonny said smirking at him.

"Who needs the couch, you can bunk with me. I'll be a perfect gentleman, I promise." He said, he seemed to be having some trouble concentrating on her face, or figuring out which one was the real Sonny.

"You're a boy, Chad. " Sonny said rolling her eyes and smiling.

"So?" He asked looking confused. "I like boys, what's the problem."  
"No matter how much a boy likes boys, he's never perfect gentleman in the morning." She said twitching her eyebrows for emphasis. A look of understanding finally dawned on his red flushed face.

"Oh….good point. We'll call you a cab." Chad said stumbling to his feet. Sonny followed along ready to catch him if he tried to fall on his head. "I'm sorry that I got trashed and can't give you a ride." Chad said as he leafed through the phone book.

"That's alright, everyone need to unwind sometime." Sonny said taking the phonebook from him when he started looking through the D's. "Do you want me to come over tomorrow and help you pack some more, I can pick up some boxes from the mail room at the studio." She asked when she finally found a taxi service that didn't sound too sleazy.

"Sure." He said leaning unsteadily against the wall beside the phone. After she called the cab Sonny gave Chad one last hug and left, going downstairs to wait for the Taxi with the doorman. Chad watched her leave and leaned against the wall for a few more moments trying to decide whether or not to try and walk to the bedroom or get down and crawl there. He had decided to try and walk while clinging to the wall when the doorbell rang. He carefully crossed the room watching his feet carefully. He was still staring down at them when he threw open the door.

"Did you forget something?" He asked still having problems looking up.

"Hey, baby." Chad looked up quickly, instantly recognizing the deep voice.

"James?"

The next day Sonny sat in the So Random prop house and stared sullenly at her cell phone. Beside her on the floor was a large pile of boxes that she had gathered to take to Chad's apartment. She had finished rehearsals for the next episode an hour ago. After that she had gone to the mail room and begged for their left over boxes and called Chad…a lot. She had called him five times and sent him three texts and he hadn't answered any of them. She was in the middle of tapping out another text when Tawni came in and sat down on the other end of the couch.

"What's with the boxes?" She asked looking at the stack beside Sonny. "Did you get another dressing room?" She asked a wide smile stretching across her face.

"They're for Chad; the studio's kicking him out of his apartment." Sonny said without looking up from her cell phone.

"I can't believe they fired him, I heard he threw a big fit over having to work with James Conroy and the director got fed up." Tawni said.

"That's not how it happened." Sonny said hitting send and looking up at the blonde girl.

"How do you know?" Tawni asked cocking her head to the side.

"Because I was there when it happened," Sonny said sliding her phone closed.

"What did happen then?"

"Chad told the director that he didn't want to work with James, and the director told him 'goodbye'." Sonny said frowning darkly.

"Why couldn't he just work with James, he a dirt bag, but it would have been better than losing his job." Tawni said her face still bright and vapid.

"I don't want to talk about it, I'm going to go check on Chad he's not answering his phone." Sonny said standing from the couch.

"Are you going to lug all of those boxes into a cab?" Tawni asked peeking over the edge of the couch.

"I guess so." Sonny said trying to pick up the boxes.

"I could give you a ride." Tawni said still peering over the couch arm.

"Why?" Sonny asked looking at her 'friend' suspiciously.

"I want to see Chad's apartment." She said her face earnest.

"I don't know." Sonny said her forehead furrowing pensively. She really think it was a good idea to let Tawni anywhere near Chad's bedroom. It didn't exactly scream straight and Tawni liked to spread secrets around.

"I could drop you off outside," Tawni said cajolingly, "I just want to see if their complex is nicer than ours."

"Alright, you can drive me over there." She said sighing as Tawni grabbed the other half of the boxes. They loaded them into the back of Tawni's bright yellow Miata and headed across town. They didn't really talk until they pulled up in front of Chad's apartment.

"I'm so calling my agent." Tawni said looking through the windshield at the ritzy apartment complex.

"Where you live is fine." Sonny said rolling her eyes as she struggled to gather the boxes out of the trunk.

"Yeah right." Tawni said frowning prettily. When Sonny finally managed to slam the hood shut Tawni pulled away without a word, already shouting into her cell phone. Sonny lumbered up the sidewalk to the front door struggling not to drop any boxes. She managed to push the buildings door bell with her elbow and waited impatiently for the doorman to come over and open it for her.

"Hello, how may I help you today?" The doorman said placing himself firmly between the girl and the lobby.

"I'm here to see Chad." She said blowing her bangs out of her eyes.

"Is Mr. Cooper expecting you?" He asked looking down at her.

"Yes." She replied through clenched teeth.

"Alright then." He said stepping back to let her into the lobby. She managed to make it onto the elevator without minimal difficulty, once inside she let the boxes fall in a heap around her. The ride wasn't nearly long enough to rest her arms and she huffed loudly as she gathered the boxes back up just in time for the elevator doors to slide open. She made it halfway down the long hallway before she let some of the boxes fall to the floor and began kicking them along in front of her. When she finally got to Chad's door she leaned against the wall breathing heavily as she punched the doorbell. She had to let it ring four times before she finally heard movement from the apartment. She heard footsteps coming towards the front door then a rattling that was probably Chad grabbing his bat from the umbrella stand.

"Who is it?" Chad's voice was muffled by the door but something didn't sound right about it, it sounded too high, too tight.

"It's Sonny." She called loud enough to be heard through the door.

"Oh, go away." He replied without opening the door. She heard the bat go back into the stand and his feet retreating across the floor.

"Chad, let me in! I just lugged packing boxes halfway across down and up here." She said pounding on the door. "And I have to pee." She was about to knock again when she heard his footsteps come back. The door opened just a crack and he looked out at the hall. Finally he opened the door and stepped back to let her in. She kicked the boxes at her feet through the door and followed them, dropping the boxes from her arms as soon as she was inside. "Why aren't you answering your phone?" She asked as Chad closed the door behind her.

"I didn't feel like talking." He said turning around without looking up at her. Sonny took a moment to look him over and got very worried. He was wearing a thin cotton undershirt and a pair of baggy blue pajama bottoms, a pair of dark sunglasses covered his eyes and he was hunched in on himself as he stood by the door.

"Are you alright?" She asked walking over to touch his arm. He flinched away from her and walked across the room before saying anything.

"I'm fine, why wouldn't I be?" He asked going into the kitchen.

"Well you look like crap, you just lost your job, and you got pretty drunk last night." She said ticking the list off on her fingers as he dug through the fridge. He finally closed it sighing heavily.

"Poor simple little Sonny." He said leaning against the counter and looking at her. She couldn't be sure because of the dark glassed but she was pretty sure he wasn't looking her in the eye.

"What?" She asked sitting down in a stool on the other side of the bar.

"You bought every word I fed you, didn't you?" He asked grinning pitifully.

"What are you talking about?" She asked looking at him bemusedly.

"You really thought that James did all those things to me didn't you?" He asked the smile falling off his face to leave only a cold blankness.

"Of course I did, I still do Chad. Why would you make it up?" She asked staring at the older boy. There was something definitely wrong. She could read tension in every muscle of the boy's body, his jaw was clenched so tightly that she could see a muscle wiggling against the skin. She had gotten close enough that she could just barely make out his eyes through the dark plastic, they were darting back and forth and never resting on her.

"Because I knew that my ratings were down and that the studio was considering replacing me with James. I thought that if I stirred up enough drama they would reconsider." He said to her his face still a mask.

"If that was the truth you would have told the tabloids, Chad. Instead you told me and you know I wouldn't tell anyone." Sonny said leaning across the counter. "Take off the glasses."

"No," Chad said stepping back and putting a hand on the sunglasses.

"What happened after I left last night?" Sonny asked sliding from the stool and going around the counter. Chad moved away from her, he couldn't leave the kitchen because it was long and narrow and she was blocking him in, but she backed him up against the sink.

"Nothing happened; I went to bed and went to sleep." He said.

"Give me the glasses, Chad." She said stepping up closer into his personal space. He shook his head a little too hard and she reached up and snatched the glasses from his face gasping as she saw the dark ring around his right eye.

"What happened?" She asked reaching up to stroke the bruised and swollen skin.

"Nothing, I was drunk and I fell and hit my face." Chad said shrugging and reaching for the glasses. Sonny stepped back and watched him as he reached after her; he was favoring his left side. She handed him the glasses. As he reached up to put them back on she darted forward and tugged the white fabric of his t-shirt up. A live purple and yellow bruise decorated his ribs.

"Did the fall cause this too?" She demanded as he tugged his shirt back down. Chad didn't say a word; he dashed around her and headed for his bedroom.

"Chad, what the hell happened when I left last night?" she said following him. He tried to close the door in her face but she through her weight against it and forced it open.

"James showed up right after you left." He said spinning to face her. "I thought it was you so I opened the door. He came in and told me that I had better keep quiet about what happed or he would kill me. Then he beat the crap out of me." Chad said a fine shaking starting in his shoulders.

"Why didn't you call the cops?" Sonny asked stepping towards him.

"You saw what he did to me and that was just for telling you."

"He can't get away with this, Chad, he can't keep hurting you." Sonny said feeling tears beginning to sting the corners of her eyes.

"That's the problem isn't it; he can get away with it, Sonny. He terrifies me." Chad said his shoulder dropping again.

"He didn't do anything else to you did he?" She asked watching him for any signs of a lie.

"What do you mean?" Chad walking over and slumping sown into his computer chair.

"Did he touch you again?" She asked.

"No, he punched and kicked me but he didn't touch me." Chad said sighing and resting his face in his hands.

"You know what I mean!" Sonny said frustration winning out over concern.

"Of course I know what you mean, and he didn't, I swear." Chad said looking back up at her.

"Alright, come on." She said going over and throwing open Chad's closet.

"What are you doing?" Chad asked spinning to watch her.

"I'm getting you enough cloths to last a while; you're coming back with me to my apartment." She said grabbing a rolling suit case out of the closet. She threw it on the bed, unzipped it, and began cramming random clothes in it.

"Sonny, you can't protect me, he's strong, I don't want you getting hurt." Chad said walking over to the bed.

"There's a difference between us, Chad, I'm not afraid of him. He's already come here, if he comes for you at my apartment he won't leave on his own two feet." She said adding more clothes to the suitcase.

"That suit is Armani," Chad said grabbing a pale grey jacket from the suitcase. "You're wrinkling it." Sonny stopped and stared at him in disbelief. "It's a nice suit."

"Fine, you pack, but you're still coming home with me." She said jabbing her finger at him. Chad nodded and started emptying the suitcase. He went around the room and pulled boxers and cotton t-shirts out of different drawers and stacked the neatly in the suitcase before adding a few jeans and nicer shirts. He finished by throwing his lap top in on top of the clothes and zipping the suitcase shut. "I'm going to go call a cab." Sonny said once he had finished.

"I'm going to see if there's anything else I'll need and gather up my blankets." Chad said nodding. Sonny walked into the living room and pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and dialed her mother's phone number.

"Hey, sweetie." Her mom answered on the first ring but her voice sounded distracted. "I'm kind of busy could I call you back later?"  
"This is kind of important." Sonny said quickly and quietly so she wouldn't be overheard.

"What's wrong, Sonny?" Her mom's voice lost it distracted tone.

"One of my friends is in trouble. I just found out yesterday that their first boyfriend raped them and last night he came over and beat the hell out of them." Sonny fought to keep her voice at a whisper, she really wanted to shout.

"Is it Tawni?" Her mother asked quickly.

"No, it's Chad." Sonny said quickly, so much for keeping it quiet for a while.

"Chad? The Chad, the one you're always talking about?"

"Yes. I want to call the cops but he's afraid of what James will do to him and what it'll do to his career. Can you fly out? I think he really needs someone to talk to about this." Sonny pleaded.

"Alright, here's what we'll do. I'll take some vacation days at work and get a plane ticket out there. I need you to get him out of the apartment and get some pictures of his injuries in case he changes his mind later."  
"I'm taking him to my place, but I don't know how I'm going to take pictures." Sonny said biting her lip.

"Wait until he's asleep if you have to, I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Thanks, Mom." Sonny said her voice filled with relief.

"No problem, honey, I'll see you soon." Chad came out of the bedroom just as she hit the end button carrying two suit cases and a duffle bag.

"Are we ready?" Chad asked wincing. Sonny walked over and took the suitcase out of his left hand.

"I need to call the cab." She said walking over to put the suitcase by the door.

"Who were you talking to?" Chad asked as he dropped his suitcase beside the other.

"I called my mom; she's on her way out here." She said finding the number for the taxi on her phone. She told the dispatcher where they were and where they wanted to go before picking up the suitcase and opening the door.

"Could you grab my bat?" Chad asked, the duffle bag and suitcase were both on his right side but his left arm was folded protectively against his ribs.

"You need to go to the hospital." Sonny said as she grabbed the bat out of the umbrella stand.

"No." Chad said as he followed her into the hallway.

"You could have a broken rib." Sonny reasoned as he locked the door behind them.

"I don't care, no doctors." Chad said as he picked up the suitcase duffle as he headed towards the elevator. Chat was still wearing the then white t-shirt and sleep pants he'd been wearing when Sonny got there. In the light coming through the window Sonny could see the bruises through the thin fabric. When they got to the lobby Chad told the doorman he would be away for a few days and told him to hold his mail. When the cab pulled up Sonny loaded the luggage in the back and slid into the back seat beside Chad. They rode back to Sonny's apartment in silence but she could tell the constant motion of the car and the seat belt were causing Chad pain. When the car stopped in front of the apartment Sonny handed the man a twenty and got out of the car. She grabbed the two suitcases and the duffle bag and carried them up the front steps and onto the elevator with Chad following behind. As they crossed the lobby he walked normally with his arms swinging at his sides but when they climbed onto the elevator alone his arm instantly went back to his side. When the elevator slid open of the third floor Sonny lead him to her apartment and opened the door. Once she was inside she dropped the luggage, closed and locked the door behind her, and turned to Chad.

"Alright, strip." She commanded putting her hands on her hips.

"What?" Chad asked turning to smile at her confusedly.

"Mom said to take pictures of your bruises and I want to see them." Sonny said her voice still stern and commanding.

"Why does your mother want pictures of me?" Chad asked cocking his head.

"Because when she gets here she's going to try and convince you to go to the police and the bruises will start fading by then, so we need to preserve the evidence." Sonny said.

"I'm not going to the cops, he'll kill me." Chad said shaking his head.

"Maybe not, but if I don't take the pictures Mom will kill me, so strip." Sonny said taking her digital camera from the shelf beside her door.

"Are you sure this isn't some ploy to see me naked?" Chad asked grinning disarmingly.

"If I wanted to see you naked I would have talked you out of your cloths last night while you were trashed." She said smirking at him. Chad rolled his eyes and sighed pulling off his t-shirt in what was supposed to have been a smooth motion. Instead he hissed and jerked at the rolled up fabric caught against his swollen ribs. Sonny stepped forward to help him but he managed to get it off by himself. She gasped as she looked at the bruises. She had only barely managed to see the large one that covered high left side. It was worse than she thought; it covered a good part of his narrow back and chest and crawled down past his ribs into the sleep pants. A bunch of smaller bruises dotted this smooth white skin of his chest and stomach. "Is that all of them?" She asked raising the camera to snap a picture.

"No." He said turning as she made a motion with her fingers.

"Take off your pants." She said as she snapped a picture of his battered back.

"Um…no." Chad said turning to look at her.

"I need to take pictures of all of them, Chad. You can leave your boxers on, but I need you to lose the pants. I'm not going to ogle you." She promised.

"One: I'm not wearing boxers. Two: even if I was wearing boxers there are some bruises they'd cover up. Three: I'm not taking off my pants." Chad said his face setting into a grimace of determination.

"You can let me see the bruises now, or wait until my mom gets here. If you wait until she gets here she's going to make you show her anyway and she's going to be pissed because they're faded." Sonny said putting her free hand on her hip.

"But some of the bruises are…" Chad said his sentence fading out and he blushed.

"What? Where are some of your bruises?" Sonny asked trying to keep anger from her face.

"Fine." Chad grumbled, he turned away from the dark haired girl and pulled the pants over his hips and dropped them. For a moment Sonny was startled and couldn't help but stare at the pale creamy skin of Chad's butt. She quickly recovered her composure as she noticed small bruises on his right cheek and large blotchy bruises running down his legs. She stepped closer and knelt down to photograph the bruised on Chad's butt gasping as she realized they were fingers prints. She quickly took pictures of the bruised on his legs and stood back up.

"Are there any on the front?" She asked taking a step back.

"Sonny." Chad whimpered quietly.

"I'm not enjoying this, Chad, I just need to know if there are any on the front that you can't see from the back." Chad looked down at himself.

"Yeah a few."

"Are there any….personal ones?" She asked softly.

"They're all personal, Sonny." He snapped looking over his shoulder at her. "But there aren't any _there._" He said nodding downwards.

"Alright then cover yourself with your hands and turn around." Sonny said blushing slightly. Chad groaned but dropped his hands to his crotch and shuffled around, his pants still around his ankles. Sonny quickly snapped pictures of the bruised dotting the front of his thighs.

"Can I pull my pants up now?" Chad asked his face bright with a blush as he refused to look at his friends face.

"Yeah, you can pull them up." Sonny said turning her back. When she turned around Chad's sleep pants were back around his waist and he was trying to put his shirt back on.

"Wait," Sonny said walking over to him and taking his shirt.

"I'm feeling a little bit exposed right now, Sonny, just let me cover myself." Chad whimpered looking at her miserably.

"I know that putting that shirt is going to hurt, I also know that having it on must hurt, lie down on the couch. I'm going to go get something to help, alright?" She asked. Chad looked at her for a moment before sighing and going over to the couch. Sonny heard him making small noises of pain as he lowered himself onto the couch. She came back later with a small tub of ointment, a wet soaked in cool water, and some aspirin. She grabbed a glass of water and sat down in the floor beside the couch. She handed the aspirin and the water to Chad then opened the jar of cream. She grabbed a handful and dropped it on Chad's back. He jumped and hissed as the small motion caused pain to burn across his skin.

"I'm sorry, did that hurt?" Sonny asked patting the one piece of un bruised skin she could find.

"No, it was freaking cold." Chad grunted trying to get comfortable.

"Sorry, I didn't think." Sonny said grinning apologetically. "Now lay still and tell me if I hurt you." She said reaching over she began to rub the cream into his skin as gingerly as she could. Every now and again she heard a small gasp of pain from the blond boy but he never said a word. After a while she noticed his breathing become slow and shallow. She finished rubbing the cream across his back and sat back. She couldn't believe how small he was. Whenever she saw him before he was wearing his sports jacket, now he was lying on her couch in his pajama pants and he seemed so tiny. He was still as tall but without his clothes he looked thin and delicate, the muscles in his arms and chest were slight and she could see the shadow of his ribs through his skin. His hipbones peeked out from the top of his sleep pants. She leaned forward and dropped a small kiss on the smooth, pale skin of his shoulder before going to her room and returning with a sheet. After covering him up she sat on the chair beside the touch and sat watching him sleep.

A/N: Oh my god, I can't believe it's finally finished. I've been trying for days to write this chapter but I just couldn't do it. I hate myself for all the gratuitous nudity of a domestic violence victim but I'm hoping it exemplifies how sad the subject really is. I hate myself to doing this to Sonny too, unrequited love sucks.


	4. No Secrets

When Chad woke up he found Sonny asleep in a chair beside the couch. He got up and looked at her wincing as his skin pulled and his bruises twinged. It did hurt a lot less than when he woke up that morning and found the bruises covering his body. He took the sheet he had been covered in and draped it over the brunette girl's sleeping form before looking around to find the bathroom. He'd been in Sonny's apartment a couple times but he didn't exactly know where everything was. By the time he finally found the toilet he was prancing lightly. When he came back out he stretched and hissed as he realized it wasn't his best idea. Chad walked back into the living room and straight to the kitchen, he knew exactly where it was and he was kind of hungry. That morning he'd been too freaked to eat. He had sat down at the table with a bowl of cereal when he heard a knock on the door. He considered getting up to answer it so Sonny could sleep, but he didn't really want to answer the door to Sonny's apartment shirtless and covered in bruises.

"Chad, come out here." He heard Sonny call. He grabbed his bowl and walked out into the living room still eating. Sonny's mother stood just inside the doorway with two large duffle bags. When Chad walked into the living room she dropped the duffels and stood there with a look of shock on her face. She had seen rape victims and domestic violence victims but the sight of Chad shocked her. Standing there in his baggy pajama pants, covered in bruises, eating his cereal, and looking at her with large blue eyes he looked like a little boy.

"Hi, I'm Sonny's mom, you can call me Connie," she said stepping forward and offering him her hand. He looked at her a moment before putting down his bowl and extending his own hand. They shook then he picked back up his bowl and continued shoveling Fruit Loops into his mouth. When he had finished he took the bowl back to the kitchen and put it in the sink.

"Sorry, I was kind of hungry, I'm Chad Dylan Cooper." He said as he came back into the living room. Sonny and Connie stared at him a moment before laughing.

"What?" He asked looking at them innocently.

"You're not really big on conversation before breakfast." Sonny said grinning at him.

"Sorry, I didn't really eat much today." He said shrugging his shoulders and wincing again.

"Let me take a look at those ribs." Connie said climbing to her feet and going over to him. She began to smooth her hands over his sides gently. He felt a little odd having a middle ages woman rubbing her hand over his skin but her touch was as gentle as Sonny's so he stood still and let her do her thing.

"There aren't any serious fractures but I can't rule out a cracked rib, you really should go to the hospital." She said after she had finished.

"Can't go to the hospital, they'll want to know what happened. If I tell them it'll get into the tabloids and I'll be screwed." He said shaking his head.

"Yeah, I kind of considered that so I talked to my boss in Wisconsin before I left, there's a DV Clinic and Shelter in Santa Monica. You sign in with a pseudonym and your real social security number." She said.

"What if people in the waiting room recognize me?" He asked.

"You can wear a hoody and sunglasses; no one will know it's you." Sonny said pulling his sunglasses out of the pocket of her jacket.

"I don't know if I packed any hoodies." He said relenting but still a bit hesitant.

"You can wear one of mine; people will think you're a girl…with a boney butt and boy feet." Sonny replied smiling widely.

"My butt's not that boney." He said frowning defensively. Connie nudged Sonny with her elbow and gave her a 'shut up' look.

"Chad, do you want to go grab a shower? The clinic's still open and we need to get you there as soon as possible." Connie said smiling warmly at the blonde boy.

"Sure," he said standing and walking slowly to the bathroom. When the door closed Connie turned to Sonny.

"Be careful what you say to him, Sonny. People in his position can have fragile self esteems, especially men." She said frowning at her daughter.

"You don't have to worry about Chad, his self esteem is fine." Sonny said rolling her eyes.

"Sonny, you know just as well as I do that people can put on a brave face around people. You have no idea how that poor boy really feels." Connie said still glaring.

"Alright, you have a point; Chad's not exactly who I thought he was. I'll be more careful around him." Sonny said quietly.

"Where's your camera, I want to makes sure the pictures you took are alright." Connie said holding out her hand. Sonny walked over to the door and took her camera off her shelf and handed it to her mom. Connie turned it on and flipped through the pictures a dark frown blooming across her face.

"How'd you manage to get him to take his pants off?" She asked.

"Chad trusts me…and I threatened him with you." Sonny said shrugging. Connie frowned even more deeply when she came to the close up of the fingerprint bruises.

"Do I need to talk to him about a rape kit?" She asked glancing at Sonny.

"I asked and he said that James didn't do anything like that, but I don't know if he's telling the truth." Sonny said shrugging sadly.

"Why would he lie to you?"

"Because he's afraid I'll get hurt if I try to kill James, I already beat the crap out of him once." Sonny said smiling dangerously.

"You what?!" Connie said trying to keep her voice low.

"I beat the crap out of him when he was laughing about raping Chad." Sonny said frowning confusedly.

"Oh, god, Sonny how could you do that?" Connie said covering her eyes with one hand.

"He was laughing about what he did, I got mad." Sonny said still frowning.

"Why did you have to confront him? If you hadn't Chad might not be a walking talking bruise right now." Connie said looking at her daughter earnestly.

"Shit! I never thought about it that way, but James was the one that told me, Chad just told me that James took his virginity then dumped him." Sonny said sitting back on the couch.

"Sonny!" Chad called sheepishly from the bathroom. She got up from the couch and went to find him poking his head and shoulders around the bathroom door. "Do you have a robe?" He asked.

"Sure, why?" She asked. He opened the door slowly and she laughed as she saw one of her tiny hand towels wrapped around his waist.

"This was the only towel I could find, and I'm not coming out of this bathroom wearing this hanky." He said frowning.

"I'll go get you a towel and a pair of pants." She said rolling her eyes and smiling.

"Why are the towels not in the bathroom?" He asked confusedly.

"Because I'm not a boy, girls keep their towels in the linen closet." Sonny said smirking at him.

"It'd be nice if girls told boys about the linen closet before boys got in the shower." Chad said sticking his tongue out at her.

"Keep your hanky on I'm going." Sonny said pulling a thick fluffy towel out of the closet beside the bathroom and handing it to him. He grabbed the towel and closed the door while Sonny went to the living room to go through his luggage until she found another pair pajama pants. She returned to the bathroom and knocked on the door. Chad opened it with the much larger towel wrapped around his waist, it hung past his knees.

"Here are your pants; I'll got get one of my big hoodies out of the closet." She said handing the pajama bottoms to him. She walked into her bedroom and dug in her closet for one of the jumbo hoodies she bought to lounge around in. When she came back Chad was standing in front of the bathroom door dress, his skin still bright pink from the shower.

"Hold up your arms." She said gathering up the hoody between her hands.  
"I can dress myself, Sonny." Chad said looking at her incredulously.

"Can you dress yourself without hurting yourself?" She asked cocking her head.

"Probably not, I just don't know which one I'd rather hurt my ribs or my pride." He said pouting.

"Don't worry about your pride, I like taking care of you." She said raising the hoody up over his head and guiding it over his arms. She tugged it down gently. It was kind of a shame to cover him up, she was getting used to Chad wondering around the apartment without his shirt on, it was kind of like having a really big, really cute….really hot puppy.

"Listen, Sonny." Chad said looking at her painfully. "I'm really grateful for you helping me out; I'm not sure what I would have done without you. I'd probably still be curled up in my bed freaking out…but I don't want you to get the wrong idea." He said finally wincing as if expecting her to slap him.

"I know." She said smiling reassuringly at him. "I like you Chad, more importantly I love the real Chad. I don't mind taking care of you and letting you sleep on my couch and eat my cereal. I honestly don't care if you stay here forever."

"Like the live in eye candy don't you?" He asked smirking at her. She would have smacked him if he didn't already look so wretched, instead she told the truth.

"Little bit," she said smirking back.

"So if I keep walking around the apartment scantily clad you'll keep me in fruit loops without jumping my bones?" He asked giving her his signature big blue eyes.

"I may even stock up on fruity pebbles," she said rolling her eyes.

"Seems like a good deal to me." Connie said coming around the corner. Sonny and Chad jumped at the interruption. "I've been on the plane for hours, I need to get in there or I'm going to water your fichus." She said turning to Sonny. They moved away from the door and back to the living room.

"Were you serious about living together?" Chad asked as they sat down on the couch his eyes flickering away from Sonny's face.

"Yeah sure." Sonny said shrugging her shoulders. "You wouldn't even have to go around shirtless….all the time." Sonny said smiling at him. He still wasn't looking her in the eye. "Chad, do you really want to move in with me?"

"Um…I mean…" He stammered without looking at her. Sonny suddenly realized why he was acting so strangely. He was afraid she was going to reject him. She suddenly realized her mom was right, whatever bravado and cockiness that Chad showed was false. He really was just a scared little boy, who probably didn't want to be alone right now.

"Of course I'd love to have you stay with me, Chad." She said reaching over to put her hand on his arm. "But these apartments only have the one room and I'm sure you don't want to sleep in the living room all the time.

"If I found an apartment here in L.A. could you move in with me?" He asked looking up at her through veiled lashes.

"I think that's a great idea." Connie said as she walked into the room. Sonny and Chad both looked up with twin looks of surprise.

"Really?" Sonny asked.

"Look what that studio did to Chad." Connie said gesturing to the blond boy. "What if they decide to evict you too?" She asked shaking her head sadly. "You know I'd love to have you back in Wisconsin with me, but I also know that you love it here and you like being on television. If you want to move in with Chad I'll set it up with your trust fund to pay half the rent."

"That's not really necessary." Chad said quickly. "I have enough money saved back that I could pay for a two bedroom apartment somewhere until I get another job."

"Nope, Sonny has enough money in the bank to help with rent and still go to a good college when she graduates. I've had roommates before; it's a lot easier if everyone is equal." Connie said nodding.

"Wait a minute, you're not doing this to cover up the whole gay thing are you?" Sonny asked looking at Chad suspiciously. She automatically regretted her words when a look of hurt crossed his face.

"No, Sonny, you're my best friend and I like spending time with you, I mean if I'm doing this for any reason it's because I don't want to be alone right now…or you know ever." He said sighing heavily.

"I'm sorry, that was something the old Chad would have done, I should have known better." She said rubbing her hand up and down his arm.

"It's alright; it does sound like something I would do. I do want to come out, but only after I've established myself enough that they don't type cast me as badly."

"Well that's up to you, but we need to get going." Connie said. "It'll be alright, I promise." She added when Chad tensed. He simply nodded.

"On the way back do you think it would be okay if we picked up my car?" Chad asked standing to move towards the door. "I could give you rides to the studio and home." He said glancing at Sonny.

"No problem," Connie said grabbing her purse and following the kids to the door. Sonny called the cab on her cell phone and they waited downstairs in the lobby. Sonny gasped and nudged Chad when Zora and Tawni walked through the door. Chad hissed and grabbed his side before sliding his sunglasses on his nose and pulling the hood up over his head.

"Hey Sonny, Sonny's Mom," Zora said as she walked up to them. "Who's your friend?" She asked looking towards Chad.

"My cousin Andy from Wisconsin." Sonny said quickly. "When she found out Mom was coming out to see me she just had to come for a visit." Tawni waved but rushed towards the elevator as if afraid she's get trapped in a conversation.

"Andy has hairy toes." Zora said peering down at Chad's feet.

"I do not!" He shouted pulling off his glasses to glare at the younger girl.

"Hello Chad." She said smirking at him.

"Zora." He said coldly slipping his sunglasses back onto his nose.

"How'd you know it was him?" Sonny asked worriedly.

"I saw you bring him in this morning." Zora said shrugging

"Do any of the other Randoms know I'm here?" Chad asked.

"Nope, they're clueless."

"Promise not to tell anyone, Zora, not right now." Sonny said grabbing the younger girl's shoulders.

"It's none of their business. Actually it's none of my business." Zora said shrugging.

"Thanks." Sonny said sincerely. Outside the cab pulled up.

"We have to go." Connie said smiling at Zora. "It was good to see you again." They walked outside and piled into the cab. They didn't talk much on the way to the clinic but Sonny could tell that Chad was getting more and more anxious. Finally she held her hand over to him. He looked at it, then up at her face before taking it and squeezing. They held hands all the way too the clinic and into the waiting room. Chad signed in under the name Chase Dylan and jotted down his social security number before taking a seat between Sonny and Connie. He didn't have to wait long before a nurse came out and got him.

"That's the shortest time I've spent in a doctors waiting room in my entire life." He commented as they walked back towards the examining rooms.

"We try to move quickly so our patients don't loose their nerve." The nurse said smiling warmly at him. "You're the first young man we've treated, so it's a day for firsts."

"Wow, I feel special." Chad said uncomfortably as the nurse opened the door and ushered him into a tiny room with an examining table and locked cabinets.

"I didn't mean it to sound like that." She said abashedly. "It's good that you had the confidence to come in and get check out. Hop up and I'll take your vitals and a history." She said patting the white butcher's paper of the examining table. "It'll be a lot easier for the doctor to examine you if you removed your hoody, son." She said. Chad started pulling the hoody up. The nurse gasped when she saw his side and reached forward to help ease the thick cloth over his chest and arms. Chad felt silly sitting there in nothing but pajama pants and sunglasses so he took the glasses off and put them behind him. The nurse looked at his face for a moment before herr eyes widened and trailed back down to his injuries. To her credit she recovered quickly and took his pulse and checked his heartbeat. When she pulled out the blood pressure cuff she looked at his arm and clicked her tongue.

"I'm afraid this is going to hurt a little bit, I mean it's always uncomfortable, but with those bruises on your arm it's going to smart when it starts squeezing." She said sliding the cuff up his arm.

"I think I can handle it." Chad said smiling demurely. He winced when the cuff started pressing against the bruises on his arm but sat still until the cuff released. The nurse jotted the information on the chart before sitting down on a rolling stool.

"There are a few more questions. You don't have to answer any of them but they help for the records, especially if you plan on pressing charges." She said looking up at him.

"Alright." He said shrugging his shoulders absently.

"Who did this to you?" She asked looking up at him seriously.

"Are these things confidential?" He asked quickly.

"Pretty much, the information can be used anonymously in studies on domestic violence but only if you sign a waiver." She said showing him the slip of paper.

"Completely anonymous?" He asked.

"Entirely."

"Alright," he took the slip of paper and quickly jotted down his pseudonym and social security number.

"So who assaulted you?" She asked again.

"A guy I worked with, we dated for a while…." Chad stopped for a moment and took a deep sigh before continuing. "He raped me then dumped me; one of my friends found out and confronted him about it. He showed up at my apartment last night and threatened to kill me if I told anyone else." Chad said staring blankly at the wall above her head. The nurse wrote down the information.

"Do you require a rape kit today?" She asked.

"No, no he just hit me this time." Chad said his eyes still looking over her head. He couldn't bring himself to look at her face. He was embarrassed, ashamed, and frightened and her face was so kind. He knew if he had to watch her look at him with pity he'd cry.

"Alright I think that's enough for now." The nurse said standing. "The doctor will be in to see you in a few minutes." The nurse said smiling at him softly before walking out the door. Chad wrapped his arms around himself and sat on the table looking around the sparse room. Chad was bored and cold by the time the doctor finally came in. She looked about forty and a fine tracery of line decorated the corners of her mouth and eyes which deepened when she smiled brightly at him. She glanced at the chart and back up at him.

"I'm Doctor Spradling; I hope you're planning on pressing charges." She said as she laid the chart on the counter and sat down on stool.

"I'd really rather not. I don't want it going on public record." Chad said smoothing a hand over his hair nervously.

"It's nothing to be afraid of Chase." She said shaking her head sadly. "I know it's a difficult thing to deal with in our culture, especially for guys, but he should pay for what he's done." She said.

"You don't know who I am, do you?" He asked looking at her wide eyed.

"No, not really, should I?" She asked looking back up at him.

"I am…I mean I was on a pretty popular show for teens." He said quietly.

"My kids are all in their late twenties, but I may have to look for you on the TV you're cute as a button." She said smiling broadly at him. "Is that why you don't want to press charges, because of the publicity?"

"Yes, I know this is nothing to be ashamed of, but I'm not really ready to come out publically."

"Well, I really wish you'd lock his ass up, but I understand why you don't want to. Let me take a look at you." She said standing. She got up and raised his arms gingerly running the tips of her fingers along his ribs. "Are there any bruises below your waist?" She asked.

"Yeah." He replied scooting uncomfortably. He really didn't feel like taking his pants off in front of another woman today.

"Are any of them as bad as this one?" She asked pointing towards a particularly dark and painful bruise on the side of his stomach.

"No."

"Alright, it says you don't require a rape kit so you'll get to keep your pants on today, Mr. Dylan." She said grinning as a look of relief crossed his face.

"My name's Chad," he said finally, he trusted the doctor. "Chad Dylan Cooper."

"Alright, Chad, I don't think you have any broken ribs but they are bruised. Take it easy; keep ice on them as often as you can stand, and after a few weeks and they should heal up pretty well." She said smiling. "Your bruises should heal by themselves, you have a few nasty hematomas' that'll take a while to fade, but there should be no lasting physical damage. I would like to urge you to photograph the damage in case you change your mind and decide to press charges."

"My friend already took pictures, her mom works in a rape crisis center." Chad said.

"You're lucky to have support that close to you." The doctor said adding some information to the chart. "You can take pain relievers, stay away from acetaminophen it can actually make the bruises worse. Alternating hot and cold compresses should make the bruises fade more quickly. We'll keep these on file in case you do go to the police."

"If we're done here could you ask Sonny to come back here?" He asked sheepishly. "I kind of need help getting my hoody on and off."

"I'll have one of the nurses get her for you. Stay safe, Mr. Cooper." She aid before leaving. A few minutes later Sonny poked her head into the room.

"What did the doctor say?" She asked as she walked into the room.

"I have some nasty hematoma and bruised ribs." He said sliding town from the examining table. Sonny grabbed the hoody and helped him into it. "She said I could take something for the pain and I should keep ice on my ribs and use hot and cold compresses on the worst bruises." As they walked out into the waiting room Chad walked over to the front desk.

"What do I owe?" He asked.

"Sir, this is a non profit clinic, we operate on donations." The receptionist said glancing up at him.

"Oh, could I get your address and the name of the clinic?" He asked. The receptionist handed him a card and went back to work. He walked back over to Sonny and Connie.

"Let's go get my car." Chad said as he walked towards the door. On the ride back to LA Chad gave them a more detailed story of what had happened with the doctor.

"She actually told you that you were cute as a button?" Sonny asked incredulously.

"That's a bit unprofessional." Connie said grimacing.

"I think she was trying to make me feel better." Chad said shrugging; he felt the need to defend the doctor. When the cab pulled up in front of Chad's apartment Chad and Sonny climbed out.

"I want to run up and grab a few extra things." He said turning back to Connie. "Do you want to come with us or wait in the lobby?"

"I think I'm going to have the cab take me back Sonny's apartment, the jet lag's kicking in, I'll see you all later." She said smiling wearily. "I'll see you kids later."

"Bye, Mom." Sonny said as Connie closed the door.

"Later, baby. Goodnight, Chad." She said before rolling up the window. As the cab pulled away Sonny and Chad went to his apartment.

"What do you need to get?" Sonny asked.

"I want my check book first of all. There are a few other things I want to get now that we're going to have my car." Chad said.

"What do you want with your bank book?" She asked as she followed him to the elevator.

"I'm going to send a donation to the clinic, they do good work, and they definitely need the money. Those exam rooms are depressing and chilly." He said winking at her as they boarded the elevator.

A/N: Nothing horribly happened in this chapter, no deep dark secrets revealed. I'm not sure whether to be proud of myself for not torturing Chad and Sonny or to worry that I'm loosing my touch. I have to say this fandom is really growing on me; it's the only one where I get to play with a completely platonic (at least as far as Chad's concerned) relationship.


	5. Secret Freckles

When Sonny woke up the next morning she could hear her mother snuffling softly from the bed. She sat up and stretched wincing as her muscles protested the night spent on the floor. Normally when her mother came to visit the studio would put her up in a hotel, but Connie had wanted to stick close to the apartment and Chad to try and trick him into counseling sessions. As Sonny sat on the floor allowing herself to wake up a little more she became aware of s wonderful smell filling the bedroom. She climbed to her feet and stumbled towards the kitchen. She stopped in the door and stared. Chad was standing at the stove stirring something in a frying pan. He still wasn't wearing a shirt but he'd managed to find an apron, she couldn't imagine how he's managed to tie it on. The bruises on his back looked a lot better. When she walked into the room he turned and smiled at her and she jumped, the bruise on his face was gone.

"Hope you like sausage and eggs." He smiled at her and waved the spatula at her.

"You're looking better today; I can't even tell you had a black eye." Sonny took a chair at the table and watched him as he took food from the stove and began distributing it on three plates.

"Um..yeah…it's concealer." He said as he sat one of the plates down in front of her.

"Where'd did you get concealer? Our skin tones don't match." Sonny asked before shoveling a forkful of eggs into her mouth. She paused for a moment, chewing slowly, her eyes opened wide. The eggs were really good.

"It was mine." He said grabbing two glasses and the orange juice out of the fridge.

"You have your own concealer?" She asked slicing a piece of sausage and popping it into her mouth.

"Doesn't everyone?" He asked as he poured the juice.

"No, I'm pretty sure Nico and Grady don't have their own private stash of makeup." Sonny smiled as he sat a glass of juice beside her plate before sitting down himself.

"They don't wear makeup on set?" He asked as he began to eat.

"Well yeah, but the studio has make up people that take care of all of that." She said taking a sip of her juice.

"I don't like the McKenzie Falls make up girl; she sighs and moans if we eat in-between takes." He said shrugging his shoulders.

"So you do your own stage makeup."

"Right, stage makeup." Chad suddenly became very interested in his eggs. Sonny sat backed and watched him for a minute.

"You were make up all the time don't you?"

"Yeah." He said without looking up from his plate.

"That would explain why your skin always looks perfect." She said shrugging.

"My skin's perfect anyway." He said grinning at her across the table.

"Then why do you bother with the makeup, personally I think it's a pain in the ass to slather it on every day." She said taking another bite of food.

"Freckles." He said it so quietly Sonny wasn't sure she had heard right.

"You have freckles?" She asked finishing her plate.

"Yeah."

"Why do you cover them up? I bet they're cute." Sonny said smirking at him.

"Leading men don't have freckles, Sonny, especially not rich kids like McKenzie." Chad said shrugging.

"Jensen Ackles has freckles." Sonny said as she stood up to rinse her plate.

"Really?"

"Yeah, I saw them in one of his old modeling pictures; I thought they made him even cuter." She said as she ran water over her plate. She was taking what Connie said to heart, she had seen yesterday how fragile Chad actually was. He acted like a self centered air head all of the time, but he was constantly making sure he looked his best. Sonny couldn't imagine having to go through life sacrificing substance in the name of image.

"Well, maybe now that McKenzie's dead I can get a part where I don't have to cover them up every day."Chad said standing from the table.

"Are you going to miss being on the Falls?"

"I don't know. I mean I've been McKenzie for so long I don't know what its' going to be like not to go to work every day and act like him. But I won't miss the people." He said shaking his head. "The only person at Condor Studio's who was ever nice to me just because they liked me was you."

"Speaking of the studio I've got to get ready for work." She leaned forward and dropped a quick peck on Chad's cheek before realizing what she'd done. When she pulled back Chad's eyes were wide and following her. "I'm sorry I don't know why I did that." She said sighing when she saw the startled blue eyes locked on her face.

"You always used to kiss me on the cheek before you got ready for school." Connie said. She had walked in just in time.

"That must be it." Sonny said before turning and walking quickly out of the kitchen. She wasn't sure what she'd been thinking when she kissed Chad but it hadn't been her mother. Connie took Sonny's seat at the table. Chad sat a plate and glass of juice in front of her before heading towards the door to the living room.

"My daughter doesn't keep coffee does she?" She asked before he could get through the door.

"I didn't see any." He said turning back into the kitchen.

"I thought we might be able to talk while Sonny's at the studio today." Connie said taking a bite of eggs.

"I know you guys want me to press charges against James, but I can't." Chad said walking back to the table.

"Because it'll be a matter of public record then and everyone will know you're gay." She said watching him over her glass of juice.

"Exactly." Chad said. Connie reached over and kicked the other chair out with her toe. Chad sighed but he took the offered chair.

"That's not all though is it?" She asked.

"No, I don't want people to know he did this to me. I don't want them to know how weak I am. Oh and there's the little issue of him beating me to death." Chad said laughing miserably as he stared down at the grain of the table.

"Chad, most people who have been raped feel ashamed, especially men, but you shouldn't feel that way. He should be ashamed because of what he did to you. And he walked right through the front door and beat you once, but that's because no one knew what he was. If it's a matter of public record that he goes around raping and beating up teenage boys then it won't be so easy for him to get to you next time." Connie said slamming her hand down on the table. Chad jumped and she smiled wanly in apology.

"I'm twenty three." Chad said quietly watching her face.

"What, really?" She asked glancing at him.

"Yeah," he said smiling, "I've been playing a sixteen year old for four years."

"Well, it doesn't change that James Conroy is a bastard that goes around raping and beating people, Chad. If you went to the cop's think of all the people you might save from the same thing." Connie said reaching across the table to take his hand.

"What if he comes after me again?" Chad asked sighing and sliding out of her grasp.

"Do you really think my daughter would let him survive twice? I mean she's liable to kill him next time she sees him." Connie said shaking her head fondly. She stopped when she looked up and saw a look of horror on the blonde's face. "Oh crap he's going to be there at the studio today isn't he?" Chad merely nodded.

Sonny has just finished the first sketch rehearsal when she saw James. She headed towards the commissary for a drink when she stepped around the corner and there he was. She stopped and stared at him for a moment the hate and anger freezing her in her steps. The makeup department had managed to cover up the damage she did yesterday if just barely. For a moment the dark haired man looked startled before his face blanked out only to be replaced with his cocksure grin.

"You look lovely today, Sonny." He said grinning ever wider.

"That's funny; you look like a pile of shit in expensive boots." She said her eyes sliding over him while her nose snarled up. "In fact that's kind of how you smell too."

"Oh, Sonny, I really hoped there would be no hard feelings, especially when you found out Chad was lying the whole time." James said his face taking on a masque of innocence.

"Yeah, I saw how you convinced him to lie too. What kind of sick person goes around beating up damaged little boys like, Chad? I mean really did it make you feel like a big man to hit him?" Sonny said her lip twisting in disdain. "Did you feel like a big man yesterday when you were on the floor?" She grinned at him and for a moment she thought he was going to take a swing at her, his eyes flared with a dark flame and his shoulder tightened. She really wished he would take a swing at her, then she could pulverize him and no one would blame her.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Munroe, I never touched your faggoty little friend. But my lawyer friend did tell me all these little allegations could be considered slanderous." He said regaining his composure. "I'd really hate for it to go to court just because you couldn't keep your mouth shut."

"I'm not afraid of your or your lawyers, Conroy. You can take everything I have and you still couldn't take what's most important."

"Yeah, what's that?" He asked smirking at her.

"The fact that I'm not a sicko like you." She said turning to walk away.

"He cried when I hit him too, it was all I could do not to rip his pants off and do it again." Sonny felt a trickle of ice go down her spine and through her body. Her whole being felt cold, her heart frozen, in that moment she could have killed him and never blinked. Instead she spoke without turning.

"You'll do great in prison, James; I hope you cry for your cellmate." She said before walking off.

When Sonny got home Chad and Connie were sitting on the couch watching television. Chad was wrapped in the same sheet and Connie was sipping coffee from a paper cup. When she walked in they both looked up at her and she couldn't help but smile when she saw that Chad had washed off his make up. His skin was still perfect but she could see the spattering of freckles across the bridge of his nose even through the bruises. As she walked by the couch on the way to the kitchen she ruffled her fingers through Chad's hair like a favorite dog or a little brother. At least she knew that's what it looked like, she could admit to herself though that she did it because she wanted to touch him. To make sure he was okay, but also to satisfy that itching need she felt whenever she saw his shaggy hair and blue eyes. Sonny stopped in the kitchen door and turned back to watch Chad watch TV, for the first time in her life she wished she was a boy.

A/N: I had the idea for this chapter the first time I saw a picture of Sterling Knight and saw his freckles, but I almost scrapped it all to get to the next chapter because the mere idea of it makes me squee hard. I hope some of you know where I'm going. Sweet dreams, my golden fans.


	6. Secret Dreams

Sonny Munroe woke up the same way every morning. He stretched until his arm fell against the warmth of Chad Dylan Cooper's back beside him in the bed then he'd smile widely before opening his eyes. Then he'd open his eyes to drink in his boyfriend, some mornings it would be the smooth creamy expanse of Chad's back, others it would be his face smooth with sleep his pink lips parted gently. It didn't really matter both were beautiful ways to wake up. Then came his favourite part, he'd lean forward and kiss him awake. The morning when he woke up with Chad facing him were the best, because when he kissed him Chad's bright blue eyes would fly open, fuzzy and sleep muddled.

When Sonny woke up that morning Chad was facing him. He leaned forward and kissed him the tip of his tongue tracing the blonde's lips before those startling blue eyes flew open and Chad's lips curled into a sleepy smile. He stretched before snuggling in against Sonny's chest his breath and eyelashes tickling the brunette's skin. The longer he was awake the more of his dreams Sonny remembered until he wrapped his arm around the smaller man squeezing him tightly. It had been horrible to see his baby beaten and bruised.

"Morning." Chad said when he was finally awake enough to speak.

"Morning, baby." Sonny said the smaller man's sleepy voice chasing the memories from his mind.

"If you let me go I'll go start breakfast." Chad said wiggling softly.

"M'not hungry yet, stay." Sonny groaned smiling.

"If I left it up to you we'd never get out of this bed." Chad said his words muffled against Sonny's skin.

"If Pizza Hut would deliver in here we wouldn't." Sonny said rolling over onto his back. Chad lay his cheek against his chest and his hand on Sonny's stomach.

"We'd eventually run out of money." Chad said his hand tracing circles around Sonny's navel.

"But it would be totally worth it." Sonny's stomach growled suddenly and Chad laughed as the skin under his fingers vibrated.

"Liar," Chad smiled and started to slide out of bed.

"All right, I'm hungry, but I'd still rather stay in bed with you." Sonny said grinning as he sat up and finally stretched.

"Yeah, well, I'd rather my pillow not growl at me. We have the day off we can get back in bed after breakfast." Chad said grinning as he headed towards the bedroom door.

"I hate to see you leave, but I love to watch you go." Sonny said as his eyes slid down Chad's back to rest on his ass.

"You're so corny sometimes; I can't believe you picked me up with those lines." Chad said laughing.

"You love them." Sonny said climbing out of bed scratching the narrow trail of hair trickling down from his navel.

"If I didn't I wouldn't do this." Chad added a wiggle to his step as he walked out of the room leaving Sonny laughing behind him. When Sonny came out of the bathroom Chad was standing at the stove cooking breakfast. He wore a robe, nothing else, the bow framing his backside. He was singing "When Sonny Gets the Blues" softly as he scrambled the eggs. Sonny loved living with Chad, some days they would go the whole day without getting dressed until finally they couldn't stand it and fell back into bed to worship each other. It had been almost a year but some days he still couldn't believe the beautiful creature standing at the stove was his and his alone. He couldn't imagine waking up in the morning and not having Chad there. As Chad cooked Sonny sat the table and filled their glasses with orange juice before sitting down to watch the blonde.

He could still remember the first day they met. He had just been chosen to star on so random an had spent the entire day listening to Tawni shriek about having to share her dressing room with a boy. He had been grabbing a bite to eat with NIco and Grady in the commissary when Chad walked in and Sonny went fanboy on him. He could still remember how Chad had looked up at him as a blush spread across his cheeks. It wasn't until weeks later when Chad had disguised himself as a fan to keep Sonny from being embarrassed on national television that Sonny had realized he was in love. He had thought that he was cursed to an unrequited love affair until Chad had grabbed his collar and pulled him down for a kiss.

"What're you thinking about, Son?" Chad asked as he pushed the eggs off onto their plates.

"Our first kiss." Sonny grinned up at him.

"I can't believe that I was wearing a wig and fake beard for that." Chad said shaking his head as a smile curled across his lips.

"You did it for me." Sonny said reaching out to touch his hand. Chad pulled Sonny's hand up to his lips and kissed each knuckle.

"You were a sweet kid, no one deserved that."

"It had nothing to do with the fact that you were crushing on me from day one." Sonny said arching his eyebrow.

"I was crushing on you? Ha, you came up to me in the cafeteria and were all like 'Chad Dylan Cooper you're so amazing, I can't believe it's really you.'" Chad said grinning sadistically.

"You were the one that blushed; Zora told me later that she was shocked because it took a beating heart to blush."

"Zora's an evil little pygmy." Chad said rolling his eyes as he walked back to the stove.

"Yes, yes she is, but you still blushed."

"What the hell was I supposed to do? This giant farmboy from Wisconsin with curly hair and dark eyes rushes me in the lunch room and starts gushing all over me. You're lucky I didn't drag you off into the corner then." Chad said finally grinning over his shoulder.

"I would have gone willingly." Sonny said.

"Yeah and then the entire studio would have known."

"Half the studio knows you live with me anyway." Sonny said shrugging as he snuck a bite of eggs.

"Yeah, but they don't all know we share a bed." Chad said as he lay sausage and bacon on their plates.

"Would it matter if they did?" Sonny asked ignoring the new food.

"No for you, you're the funny guy, gay guys are supposed to be funny. I might lose my job, no one wants a gay teenage heartthrob."

"You're not a teenager, Chad." Sonny said grinning.

"Bite your tongue or I'll do it for you." Chad hissed at his took a bite of sausage his teeth snapping through the meat.

"I think the world is ready for a gay heartthrob."

"Then they can have you, I'm staying in my comfy little closet."

"Funny guys can't be heartthrobs."

"You sure do make my heart throb." Chad said his eyes sparkling with laughter.

"Now who's corny?" Sonny asked chuckling.

Sonny bolted up from her bed on the floor before curling around her knees a tear trickling from the corner of her eye. It wasn't the first time she'd woken up from a dream crying, but it was the first time she was crying because she woke up. Waking up next to Chad and being able to kiss and hold him was amazing and all she wanted to do was go back to sleep and dream it again. But she knew as she closed her eyes that the dream wouldn't come back, some things were just to beautiful to happen more than once. Finally she climbed to her feat and headed towards the kitchen she had a quart of icecream int eh freezer that was about to meet an untimely death.

"Oh God, I'm so screwed." She said as she opened the tub and sat town at the table with a spoon.

When Sonny walked through the living room to the kitchen Chad played possum under the sheet on the couch. He could still feel the weight of boy Sonny's arm across his back and the taste of his kiss on his lips. He didn't want to explain to her why he was crying. How did you explain to your best friend that you were crying because you dreamt that she was your boyfriend and you were happier than you had ever been? It wouldn't have been fair to her, not that it was really that fair to him, but still. There was nothing to do but roll over and snuggle down into the back of the couch and pray when he went to sleep he didn't dream again. He couldn't handle waking up again to find out that his beautiful boyfriend had turned back into a girl like a pumpkin at midnight.

"Fuck, this sucks." He whispered into the couch.

A/N: It had to be done, I couldn't help myself but now I'm sad because in the world I'd created for them this is the perfect answer. Yeah this was heavily influenced by Beyonce's "If I were a Boy" but I wanted to stick with the secrets theme for the name. I have no idea how to top or follow this one so it'll be a little while until the next update, I'm going to go sit in a corner and think about what I've done.


	7. Sonny with a Wedding

Sonny woke up gasping for air. After a moment of staring at the cool white ceiling he sat up, pulled his legs to his bare chest, and swiped at the tears coursing down his cheeks. The dream had hit way too close to home. He had spent his first three months at Condor Studios stealing glances at the blonde boy whenever his back was turned. Chad Dylan Cooper had been his dream since he was fourteen and suddenly he was working in the same studio. Later when Chad disguised himself as a random fan with two broken arms to save Sonny from embarrassment by Tawni he thought his heart would overflow right there on stage. When they were backstage talking he was so frustrated that he almost forgot how grateful he was then the next thing he knew his hands were on Chad's shoulders and his lips were crushed against the shorter boy's. It was the best day of his life and the memory carried with him and kept him warm years later. But waking up from the strange dream in the empty bed brought back memories of those months staring at Chad in vain. Finally Sonny couldn't take it anymore he grabbed his cell phone and scrolled down the contact list until he found Chad's entry and hit send.

"Son, it's like three thirty in the morning." Chad moaned as he answered the phone.

"I know, I just had this really terrible dream and I needed to hear your voice." Sonny said straining to conceal the tears in his voice. Chad heard them anyway and sat up in bed.

"What was it, babe?" He asked his voice warm and comforting.

"I dreamt that I was a girl and you were still a guy, you still liked guys, and I was in love with you but I couldn't be with you. You needed me so much and I needed you." Sonny said quickly the words flooding from his mouth.

"You were a girl?" Chad asked unable to keep the laughter from his voice. "I'd have liked to see that."

"Shut up, you ass, I missed you." Sonny groaned despite the smile on his face.

"I know, baby, but the groom isn't supposed to see the…other groom before the wedding. Why did we let Connie talk us into this again?" Chad asked a baffled expression crossing his face.

"I don't know, probably the same reason we let her talk us into wearing white." Sonny said shaking his head and chuckling.

"Well it'll all be over tomorrow. Your batshit mother will fly back to Wisconsin and we'll be off for a month in the French Riviera."

"You just want to take me to France so you can make me try escargot." Sonny said grimacing.

"Think of all the cheese, farm boy." Chad said grinning.

"We could get cheese in Wisconsin."

"And the beaches, the Eifel Tower, the wine." Chad said his voice going dreamy.

"Alright, alright, we're going to France." Sonny relented smiling warmly.

"Good night, farm boy." Chad said making a kiss noise into the phone.

"Good night, Dyl." Sonny replied returning the kiss. Sonny hung up the phone and lay back down his arm instantly stretching out into the open space where Chad normally lay. He kept running images of their wedding day through his mind until he finally managed to fall asleep.

The next morning Sonny woke up the sound of frantic knocking on his door. He got up, stretched, and pulled on a pair of pajama pants and stumbled to the living room. He opened the door scrubbing his eyes sleepily and almost fell over as his mother brushed past him in a blur. She came back and shoved a cup of coffee into his hands.

"Come on, boyo. You've got a wedding to attend." Connie said as she unzipped the garment bag. She pulled a pair of white slacks and a white dress shirt out of the bag and hung them on the back of the bathroom door.

"Mom, at what point did my wedding become a circus?" Sonny asked sipping the coffee as he watched her bustle around the room.

"This is not a circus, this is a nice traditional wedding, be glad you don't have to deal with a dress, brides maids dressers, or hair and makeup." She said as she pulled a single yellow rosebud in a florist's box and stuck it in the refrigerator.

"I may not, but Chad will fuss over his makeup and hair for an hour." Sonny said taking another long pull of coffee.

"You know when you came out I was a little freaked, but I have yet to find a difference between Chad and anyone else's daughter in law." Connie said laughing. "Except for grandchildren, I still haven't figured out how to get grandchildren out of that boy. Anyway Chad's makeup isn't my problem. Kathy should be getting to his apartment right about now."

Chad woke to a gentle shaking.

"Good morning, farm boy." He said stretching luxuriantly.

"Try again, baby boy." Kathy Cooper said smiling down at her son.

"Oh god, Mom! Did no one ever teach you to knock?" He moaned rolling onto his side and pulling a pillow over his head. The small blonde woman plucked the pillow away and tossed it across the room.

"I did knock; you didn't hear me you shouldn't have stayed out so late last night partying with the McKenzie girls." Kathy said nudging at his side. Chad squawked and jerked away from the jabbing fingers.

"Had to have one last night of partying," he mumbled sitting up to wipe the sleep from his eyes. "I'm going to be a married man by the end of the day."

"Oh god, my baby boy is getting married." She said clasping a hand to her mouth as tears misted her eyes. "To a hillbilly from Wisconsin."

"They don't have hills in Wisconsin, Mom; they have lakes, cows, and cheese. Sonny's a farm boy." Chad said rolling his eyes. "Don't start crying your mascara will run." He said reaching out to dab at the corner of her eyes with the tips of his fingers.

"Are you nervous?" She asked changing the subject.

"Why would I be nervous?" He said shrugging his shoulders. "I'm only about to stand up in front of all my friends and family, all his friends and family, and a couple dozen reporters to swear my undying love and eternal fealty to the man I love."

"I was a nervous wreck on my wedding day." She commented.

"You were in high heels and a big poufy dress…and you were six months pregnant." Chad said smirking. "I'm wearing sandals and that." HE said pointing at the white outfit hanging off the back of the hotel closet door. "I'm also not going to be married in a church in front of a minister. I'm getting married on the beach by a psychotic pygmy with pigtails."

"I don't know why you two couldn't get an actual preacher to officiate the ceremony." Kathy said shaking her head sadly.

"Because most churches don't like men marrying men, besides Zora knows us both and she's got the credentials. She's assured me that someone will burst into tears during the ceremony….so try to cry or she'll end up kicking someone in the shins." Chad said smiling.

"I'll try. Get up, get showered, get dressed and get your face on." She said standing up from the bed moving towards the door.

"Why? The wedding isn't for four hours." Chad said his brows furrowing in puzzlement.

"I thought you might want to stop by and visit your dad since he can't walk you down the aisle today." She said wiping another tear out of the corner of her eye.

"Mom, I really don't think Dad would approve of this wedding." Chad said shaking his head sadly.

"Chad Dylan Cooper, your daddy would have loves you not matter what and you know it." She said grimacing at him.

"Alright, alright stop giving me the look I'll get ready." Chad said motioning her towards the door. She nodded and closed it behind her.

"Why are you here so early?" Sonny asked leaning against the back of the couch. "The wedding doesn't start for hours and it's not like it's going to take me that long to get ready."  
"I wanted to make sure you were up before I went to start decorations and deal with the caterers." Connie said shrugging. "Besides I thought you might appreciate some coffee before Tawni shows up." She said smirking.

"Oh God, I can't believe Tawni's my maid of honor." Sonny said taking another giant drink of coffee. "I can't believe I have a maid of honor. Do you know she cried at the party last night?"

"Oh I can imagine." Connie said laughing. Sonny suddenly became aware of the sound of sniffling outside his door. Sighing he went and opened it. Tawni heart stood on the welcome mat tears streaming down her face.

"I can't believe you're getting married before me." She whimpered as she walked into the apartment. "You're marrying one of the hottest young actors in Hollywood and I'm an old maid!" She sobbed throwing her head back.

"Tawni, my wedding is the first same sex celebrity wedding in Hollywood there are going to be lots of press coverage. Do you want to stand beside me and have your picture taken with bags under your eyes and mascara running down your face?" Sonny asked smirking at Tawni's eyes widened and her jaw dropped. Connie gave him the thumbs up when Tawni's back was turned.

"Oh crap, I need cucumbers." She said dashing towards the kitchen. She came back a few minutes later with a cucumber and a knife.

"This is safe right?" She asked waving the cucumber at Sonny.

"Tawni, how many times have I told you to stop watching Not another Gay Movie like it's a documentary. I never in my life have had sex with a garden vegetable." Sonny said rolling his eyes. He took the cucumber and took a bite out of it before handing it back. She shrugged and cut two slices from the vegetable before lining back on the couch and placing the slices over her eyes.

"I'm leaving I've got work to do. Do NOT be late for your own wedding." Connie said stretching up to kiss Sonny on the cheek before she ran out the door.

"I'm going to go take my shower and eat some breakfast." Sonny said as he turned towards the bathroom. Tawni waved at him dismissively.

Chad rode to Santa Monica in silence. Every now and again he would swipe his hands over the legs of his slacks as if wiping sweat from his palms. When they pulled up in front of the Santa Monica Veteran's Cemetery his hand shook as he reached for the car door. For some reason stopping to see his father made the wedding seem more real. He stood a respectful distance away as his mother walked over to his father's tombstone and knelt careful to keep her stockings off the grass. After a moment she came back smiling through the tears down her face.

"Now look, you've ruined your make up." He said smiling softly and wiped at one of the black streaks down her cheek.

"Careful, you don't want to get mascara all over your cloths." She said pulling a tissue from her purse she wiped his thumb clean before dabbing at her own eyes. She stood and waited patiently for Chad to make his way over to the tombstone. Chad walked over and squatted by the white marble.

"Hey, Dad." Chad said quietly feeling a little silly talking to a chunk of rock. "I'm not marrying a girl but Son's a great guy, I think you would have liked him. I know I love him more than I ever thought I could love anyone." Chad said smiling and shaking his head as tears prickles at his eyes. "I know Mom's right, you would have been happy for me no matter what; I wish you could be there today. I wouldn't even make you walk me down the aisle." Chad said laughing shakily as a tear broke free and trailed down his cheek. "I love you, Dad." He said before standing back to walk towards his mother. She enveloped him in a hug and patted the back of his hair when he lay his head on her shoulder.

"Now you made me ruin my make up." He said after a moment.

"You can fix it on the way to the church." She said smiling tearfully as she wiped the tear stain from his face wiping away a swath of foundation to reveal freckles.

Sonny stood on the beach staring out across the water. He had to admit his mom did a great job with the decorations. He and Zora stood underneath a trellis covered in ivy and white roses. The rows the end of each row of folding chairs featured a ball of white wisteria and ivy. Sonny glanced down at the tiny yellow rose on his shirt and smiled. It was his only suggestion when it came to wedding flowers. Now that he was beneath the trellis Sonny was getting nervous. He could feel his heart beating against his chest and he was fighting to keep sweat from trickling down in his eyes. He got more nervous the more the seats filled until finally he almost jumped out of his skin when the music came on.

His heart leapt into his throat as "Come on Get Higher" came on the speakers and Chad started down the aisle arm in arm with his mother. He looked amazing. On anyone else the loose fitting white gauze shirt and baggy pants would have looked ridiculous but on Chad it was perfect. It made him look soft and small. Sonny managed to give him a nervous smile as they reached the trellis and Kathy stepped away to take her seat beside her mother on the front row.

"Let's get this show on the road." Zora said smiling as Sonny and Chad turned to face each other. "Dearly beloved we are gathered here today to unite these two men in never ending love and fidelity: For better or worse, in sickness and health, in poverty and wealth for as long as they can stand the sight of each other." Zora intoned smirking as Kathy gasped at the last line. "The boys have asked to write their own vows so now we're going to sit here and listen to them wax poetic about each other for a couple hours. Who wants to go first?" Sonny blanched and his top lip twitched. Chad grinned.

"Sonny Monroe, the first day I saw you at the studio I knew I was in deep trouble. You were tall and broad and you blushed every time I said a word to you and I knew that one day you'd either beat the crap out of me or we'd be together forever. That day you kissed me was the second happiest day of my life and I knew that all my dreams had come true. That's why I'm standing here today in front of all these people to tell the world that there's no one else on earth I'd rather spend the rest of my life with. It's your turn." Chad whispered.

"Chad, I love you with the breadth and the depth of my soul. My worst nightmares are about loving you and not being able to be with you. The rest of my life will be the sweetest dream if I get to wake up with you in my arms every day. Chad Dylan Cooper do you accept this ring as a token of the love we share?" Sonny asked pulling a ring from his pocket. Chad nodded quickly as tears welled in his eyes. They began flowing freely as Sonny slid the ring gently on his finger.

"Sonny Munroe will you take this ring as a token of our undying love?" Chad managed to choke out around the lump in his throat as his reached up and unfastened the silver chain around his kneck. Sonny nodded quickly bent down a little lower so Chad could fasten the chain with his father's wedding band around his neck.

"You may now kiss the Chad." Zora said smiling. Sonny wrapped his arm around Chad's waist and bent down to kiss him.

"Love you, Dyl." He whispered in the blonde man's ear.

"Love you too, farm boy."

A/N: So you may have guessed but this is the final chapter of Golden Boy's Secret. There is no way in hell I could ever follow this. I would like to wish Emily aka TheFanFicAddict a Happy Birthday. It's nearly a month late but I think a wedding makes a pretty good belated birthday present.


End file.
